Phoenix Chronicles: Shadowed Eclipse
by Alexandria Prime
Summary: Shadow the Hedgehog. Born on the Space Colony ARK. Alexis Rey Hedgehog, formerly know as Alexis King. Sent to Earth under mysterious circumstances. Eclipse the Darkling. Created to kill Shadow. When Eclipse gets help from the shadows that threatened the world, an accident happens. And now the two hedgehogs wonder if they will ever share their feelings with each other. Full sum in.
1. Prologue: Dark Alliance

_[Undisclosed location]_

In a dark cave, a figure was dragging an elk down a narrow passage. The creature was bipedal, with a mostly gray body that had red markings on its arms, legs, and head. A long tail snaked out behind him, which twitched in irritation. A pair of snake-like golden eyes stood out in the darkness from his pale face.

"My Dark Arms," he announced when he had come out into a small cavern, "I have returned. With proper food this time."

Several alien-like croons came from the darkness and several creatures came forward. They resembled Wisps, but were dark gray with glowing alien eyes. They formed various shapes, from cubes to spike-balls. As they tore into their meal, the first figure tore off a leg of the elk for himself.

The alien's name was Eclipse the Darkling. He was the last of the Black Arms creatures to come to Mobius before the Convergence. He had managed to get a flyer explaining it, and he and the Dark Arms had managed to find a new cave when it happened. Thankfully, there were several new kinds of meat thanks to it, so they didn't have to live on the fruits that Eclipse grew anymore.

As Eclipe ate his leg, he allowed the simmering hatred that had grown in his heart to come out a bit more. Shadow the Hedgehog. Oh how he hated that name. Ever since Shadow and his team had destroyed the Black Comet that had brought him, the modified Black Arm had been on the run, trying to find a way to kill him. But now, killing him would be even harder now that he was a secret agent with GUN. And that he had more friends to help protect him.

_I want to kill you, Shadow,_ Eclipse thought darkly. _I just wish I knew how to. You have your help. And the Black Arms will refuse to come to Earth now that Shadow has destroyed two colonies. I will never get any help now._

"_**PERHAPS YOU ARE NOT LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PLACE, ECLIPSE THE DARKLING."**_

Eclipse jerked up. He looked at the shadows in the cavern, which were made even darker when the fire in the cave suddenly was extinguished. The Dark Ars gathered around Eclipse as he stood. A pair of menacing red eyes with emerald green slitted irises pierced out of the darkness.

"Who are you?" snarled Eclipse. "How did you find us?"

"_**YOU AND YOUR DARK ARMS HIDE IN THE SHADOWS. THE SHADOWS ARE MY DOMAIN. MY REALM."**_

"You did not answer my question," said Eclipse. One of the Dark Arms moved into his body. Instantly, his body grew out long jagged spikes.

"_**MY NAME IS SOMETHING THAT IS FEARED TO MENTION IN BOTH THE DAY AND THE NIGHT, AND IT MUST NOT BE SPOKEN UNLESS MY ENEMIES WISH TO FIND ME. FOR NOW, YOU MAY CALL ME... THE DARKNESS."**_

"Well," scoffed Eclipse, "That's a name that screams cringe."

"_**IT IS THE NAME THAT YOU WILL ADRESS ME AS."**_

"Fair enough." Eclipse lowered his arms. The Dark Arm emerged out of his body and slid back to its companions. Eclipse sat on the ground as he asked, "Why would you be willing to help me?"

"_**THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND,"**_ spake the Darkness. _**"YOU HAVE HEARD THAT PHRASE, HAVE YOU NOT?"**_

"I have," said Eclipse. "But Shadow is mine to kill. What do you have against him?"

"_**NOT AGAINST HIM, BUT AGAINST THE ONE THAT HE LOVES,"**_ responded the Darkness. _**"HE IS IN LOVE WITH MY SWORN ENEMY, THE ONE THAT IS DESTINED TO FIGHT ME AT THE SO-CALLED FINAL BATTLE. SHE IS THE GODDESS' CHOSEN FLAME, AND I MUST KILL HER. FAILING THAT, BREAK HER SPIRIT."**_

"And the way you can do that is to kill Shadow," said Eclipse, grinning darkly. "So, you will help me kill my 'brother'?"

"_**YESSSSSSS,"**_ said the Darkness. A vial, full of clear liquid, appeared in front of the Black Arm in an injector.

"What is this?" asked Eclipse, staring at the injector with curiosity in his eyes.

"_**THE LIQUID IN THE VIAL WILL COPY YOUR DNA,"**_ said the Darkness as Eclipse took it. _**"THE SACRIFICE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO WILL BE WORTH IT, I ASSURE YOU."**_

"What does it do?" asked Eclipse, spitting in the vial. To his astonishment, as soon as his spit touched the liquid, it turned a black color.

"_**LIKE I SAID, THE SACRIFICE WOULD BE NECESSARY, BUT VERY WORTH IT."**_

"And why?"

The Darkness told him. At first, Eclipse was angry. But then, a twisted smile grew on his face. The Dark Arms also appeared to be accepting of the sacrifice when they understood what it would do.

"_**SO, DO YOU UNDERSTAND, MY FRIEND?"**_ asked the Darkness when he was finished.

"I understand," said Eclipse, the smile turning into a wicked grin. "And I will be okay with this sacrifice.

"So long as I get to destroy my brother in the process."


	2. Hedgehogs vs Cheerleaders

**For those of you that decided to read past the prologue- welcome to Phoenix Chronicles: Shadowed Eclipse! If you are new to this series, what are you doing here? Go back to 'Sonic Forces: Rise of the Phoenix' if you really want to know what's going on. If you've stuck with us throughout the entire series, welcome to the fourth instalment of the 'Phoenix Chronicles'! Now, on to the synopsis-**

_**Shadow the Hedgehog. Born on the Space Colony ARK. Creation of Dr. Gerald Robotnik, the grandfather of Dr. Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik. During that time, his best and only friend was Maria Robotnik. When GUN attacked the Space Colony, Maria was killed and Shadow was held captive for fifty years. During Sonic's time on Earth, he was released by Dr. Eggman and tried to destroy the world.**_

_**Alexis Rey Hedgehog, formerly known as Alexis King. Came to Earth under mysterious circumstances and transformed into a human. When Sonic came to Earth, she aided him during his battles against Eggman, revealing a small fragment of her powers and her true birth. When Shadow tried to destroy the world, she reminded him of his promise to Maria that he would protect Earth and Mobius. Six years after Sonic and his friends left, Alexis finally returned to Mobius, where she aided in the Phantom War(as people began to call it instead of the Eggman War) and help bring Mobius and Earth back together.**_

_**Eclipse the Darkling. After Shadow used Chaos Control to send the first Black Comet into the sun, a second Black Comet came. Eclipse was a project started by the Black Arm known as Black Death, made to destroy Shadow the Hedgehog after he betrayed Black Doom. Shadow managed to defeat the second hive leader, and he, Rouge, and Omega destroyed the second Black Comet with a nuclear bomb given to them by the government to destroy the Comet. But Eclipse escaped, and with him came the Dark Arms, which could empower any Black Arm with new abilities.**_

_**The two 'brothers' are destined to meet, and Alexis is struggling to share her feelings of Shadow to the black hedgehog, not knowing that he loves her in return. But with Eclipse getting help from the shadows that threatened the world not too long ago, an accident happens. And now the two hedgehogs wonder if they ever will share their feelings for each other.**_

**Yup, something bad is gonna happen. Read ahead at your own risk. But now, onto the story! Welcome everyone, to 'Shadowed Eclipse'!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

_[Fort Bridger]_

"Aw man!" complained a female dark blue and aqua-colored hedgehog, sitting on her motorcycle which was parked up on top of a hill. The hill overlooked the new Fort Bridger that was close to the Rocky Mountains. "For once it looks like I'm late for the party!" she said to herself. "Just hope Shadow saved me a few things to smash." She revved her motorcycle, driving down the hill.

On top of a Super Badnik was a black hedgehog with red stripes on his quills, arms, and legs, as well as little bits of red around his ruby eyes. He wore red, black, and white shoes with gold rings as well as white gloves, gold rings, and black and red cuffs. He pulled out his hand from the Super Badnik's red eye as a half-damaged robot behind him started to charge up its blaster.

Then, a fiery spear nailed it through its head. The black hedgehog turned as the female hedgehog on her motorcycle drove up behind him. "Hey Shadow! Glad to see you saved half of one for me."

"Sorry Alexis," called out Shadow, hopping off the destroyed Super Badnik and pulling off a few wires that were wrapped around his arm. "But these robots wanted me to destroy them. Nice motorcycle by the way."

"Thanks," said Alexis Rey Hedgehog, climbing off it. As Shadow joined her, she pressed a button on the side of it. Instantly, the motorcycle folded up until it was compacted into a green, red, and black wheel. Alexis picked it and tucked it under her arm. "But I do need a way to carry it in its compacted form. Chuck, Uncle Chuck and Tails are working on that for me."

"Looks handy," said Shadow. He then looked up at her. "Its been a while," he commented. "A month or so. I thought you were with Sonic and Squad H."

"You mean Team Phoenix," corrected Alexis. "They decided to change the name. I personally like it. I heard from Rouge that you were coming by here while she and Omega were in a town that we stopped by. Thought I'd come by and lend a hand. So what's up?"

"Knuckles and Commander Towers informed me and the rest of the team that this was a Wispon and Wisp distribution hub before the Convergence," said Shadow, turning to the massive door. "A few days after it happened though, the shipments suddenly dried up. Knuckles would've come himself, but he had to get back to Angel Island to check on the Master Emerald. So I volunteered. Rouge and Omega are tracking Eclipse down. Something about him appearing in the mountains."

"And once you're done here," figured Alexis, "you'll go after them."

"Something like that." Shadow turned to the doorway and shouted out, "HEY! I'm Agent Shadow of GUN! I took care of Eggman's leftover army! Open the door!"

After a few seconds, a Mobian dog, mostly colored brown with a few darker brown patches peeked his head out. "S-sorry sir," called out the dog in a shaky voice. "But I'm under orders not to open the gates to anyone!"

"Says who?" called up Alexis.

"I-I can't say!"

Alexis and Shadow looked at each other. "Up and over?" asked Alexis.

"Up and over," confirmed Shadow. The two of them darted up the wall, Shadow simply racing over the wall while Alexis flew over. When they landed, all the Mobians and people that were outside scrambled for cover.

"Maybe they've been frightened by the Badniks outside?" figured Alexis, looking a little nervous at the reaction that they got.

"No," said Shadow. "It's something else."

They turned as the young guard scrambled down the ladder behind them. "Y-you shouldn't have done that!" he whispered hoarsely. "You shouldn't be here!"

"Why?" asked Alexis. "Whatever's wrong we can fix it!"

"No- you can't!" the dog whispered, his fingers tapping nervously together. "T-they took all the Wisps and Wispons! Without those Wispons, or a way to power them, we don't stand a chance! They're unstoppable now!"

"'They' who?" asked Shadow.

"Listen buster," said Alexis, crossing her arms with her stored bike over her chest, "you just saw my friend here solo a Super Badnik and a whole army of Badniks without even breaking a sweat. We can handle ourselves. Start from the beginning- what's up?"

The dog gulped slightly before saying, "T-true enough. Okay." He took a deep breath and started. "At the end of the war, we were hard-pressed with the armies of Badniks that kept coming after the town. Then, a little while before the Convergence happened, two mercenaries showed up. They were ferocious! They held back the forces and saved the town. They told us that they were going to improve our defenses.

"But what they really did was take our arsenal and take us prisoner within our own town! Now we have to do everything they say. We have no way to fight back. And we can't escape with all the robots stalking outside the wall!"

"Well then," mused Alexis. She turned to Shadow and said, "Sounds like we need to take our complaints straight to the management, eh Shadow?"

Shadow cracked his knuckles. "Absolutely," he snarled.

As they hurried down the path, Alexis asked the dog, "Where can we find these clowns?"

The dog appeared relieved as he said, "They turned the old supply depot into a fortress. Just down this road to the right, you can't miss it!"

"Cool. Sit tight! We've got this!"

* * *

Alexis held up a window, allowing Shadow to hop through. "There's Wisps in here!" he whispered to her.

She hopped down as well, looking at the frightened Wisps that were in large deployment capsules. "This is inexcusable," she hissed, gently pressing her hand on a capsule that held a Crimson Wisp, which looked up at her hopefully. "They're being hoarded." At the sound of cruel laughter, she whispered, "Hang tight just a little longer. We'll free all of you!"

"Alexis! Over here!" whispered Shadow. She moved next to him and the two of them peeked through a couple of crates.

Sitting on either side of a table laden with food were two large Mobian Skunks. One was an albino while the other was blue with white stripes and gold eyes. They were laughing at a purple Mobian wolf who was wearing a jester hat and dripping with root beer. A female green Mobian sheep was watching the scene in shock. There were two cats as well, a light pink one and a magenta one, who had an annoyed look on her face. The blue skunk was laughing hard as he said, "Nice one, idiot!"

"Yeah!" agreed the albino skunk. He slammed his hand on the table and ordered, "Now get us another round before we beat some sense into ya!"

"Wow," deadpanned Alexis. "I met the Hooligans last week, and these guys make 'em look like class acts."

"We'll give the civilians a few moments to clear out," Shadow whispered to her. "Then we'll break them in half!"

"You've been getting violence lessons from Omega, haven't you?" asked Alexis in amusement.

Shadow looked to the side. "He wasn't here, so I got to say it," he told her, causing her to giggle. She then took a deep breath and stood up.

"HEY! Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dumber!"

The albino skunk turned as the blue one spat out his cup of root beer. The civilians in the room quickly moved out of the way.

Alexis and Shadow stepped out from behind the crates. "My name is Alexis Rey Hedgehog," said the female hedgehog. "Perhaps you've heard of me? This is Shadow the Hedgehog, special agent of GUN. You two are guilty of theft, extortion, kidnapping, and being grade-A jerks. So you can either come along quietly, or we'll have to get loud."

The albino skunk swept off the food on the table with a massive hand. "Who said you could come into our town, huh? Who said you could ruin our fun?!"

The blue skunk stood up as well. "We haven't heard of you," he said, "but you obviously haven't heard of us, either!"

The two skunks stepped forward. "You lookin' to scrap?"

"Then get ready to crumble!"

"Brace yourselves for-"

Both the skunks posed and shouted at the same time, "ROUGH &TUMBLE!"

Alexis and Shadow stared at the two skunks incrediously. After a few seconds, the female hedgehog bit her lip, tears coming out of her eyes. "Oh no," she managed to gasp out, "I was not prepared for this."

"Well," Shadow said, trying to hide a smile. "At least they're coordinated."

Alexis lost it. "HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! They're cheerleaders! They're flippin' cheerleaders! Where are their skirts and pom-poms?! Hahahahahaaaa!"

Shadow was chuckling as well, allowing Alexis to lean on his shoulder as she continued to laugh. "Are you done yet?" he asked after a few minutes.

Alexis took a few deep breaths and nodded. "Yeah. Let's get 'em!" The two hedgehogs charged forward. Alexis tackled the blue skunk, her fist covered in flames as Shadow launched a few punches at the albino.

Shadow tucked into a spin-dash and slammed into his chest. He gave a sudden yelp as the albino suddenly caught him. He bounced Shadow in between his legs like a basketball before chucking him at a nearby post. Shadow landed on the post before launching himself back at the albino, knocking him backwards.

Alexis landed a good punch on her opponent, knocking him back. When she tried to move in to land another blow, the skunk bounced off a nearby post and flew into the air above her. "STINK BOMBER!" he yelled. A cloud of smelly gas came out of him, billowing around Alexis. When he landed, the cloud suddenly cleared up. Alexis had protected herself in a small bubble, and now two fiery bubbles of the gas circled her hands. A few flames covered her mouth and nose as she slammed them both on top of the skunk, forcing him through the floorboards.

The albino, covered in bruises, pulled his brother out as the two hedgehogs rejoined. "C'mon bro," he said painfully. "We ain't done yet!"

"I always did hate skunks," said Shadow, waving his hand in front of his nose to clear off a few more fumes. "You alright?"

"I don't smell skunky, before you ask," said Alexis, the flames around her face fading. "You're not the only one who hates skunks. Regular or Mobian."

The albino skunk walked over to a crate, pulling out a Lightning Wispon that had a few Ivory Wisps in it. "No more messin' around!" he yelled.

His brother gave an evil cackle as he grabbed a Burst Wispon with a few Red Wisps inside. "Say your prayers, chumps!"

"Okay," said Alexis, crouching in a ready position. "That could be a problem."

"I'll distract them," said Shadow. "You grab a Wispon of your own and-"

"Nope," said Alexis. When he turned to look at her, she said, "I can do one better." She turned to the skunks and started talking. "Hey Wisps! It's me, Alexis! Sonic's little sister! He helped to save your world from Dr. Eggman, remember?"

As the two skunks looked at each other, confused, she continued. "A bunch of you guys decided to stay on this world. You helped Sonic at Lost Hex! You helped the Resistance fight against the Eggman Empire! I know fighting isn't your thing, but you've all proven that your powerful and brave! Don't let these jerks boss you around! They need you to boss everyone around, but you don't need them!"

A few burbles and beeps came from the Wispons all around the small group. Then, the Ivory Wisp and the Red Wisp came out of ther Wispons, causing the brothers to yelp in shock.

As Wisps filled the air, Alexis turned to Shadow. "Better?"

"Most definitely," said Shadow, nodding in approval.

"Come on, come on, come on!" yelled the albino skunk, slamming his hand against the Wispon he was holding.

"One of you get in this thing right now!" yelled the blue skunk to a few Red Wisps.

Alexis and Shadow walked towards the two. "The tables have turned," said Shadow, slamming his fists together.

"They've certainly bumbled," quipped Alexis, cracking her knuckles.

Then both the hedgehogs said, "It's butt-kick time for Rough and Tumble!"

"By the way," added Alexis. "Which one of you is which?"

"No, no, NO!" screamed the albino skunk, digging around furiously for another Wispon.

"T-that's our thing!" screamed the blue skunk. "YOU CAN'T DO OUR THING!"

The two hedgehogs then lept forward, swiftly defeating the two skunk brothers. It was over.

* * *

As the two hedgehogs came out into the sunlight with their two captives, they were met with a cheering town. Many Wisps were floating around while other citizens opened capsules and let the other Wisps fly out.

The dog from before came racing towards them, now carrying a Drill Wispon. "You did it!" he cried. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Get a party going and we'll call it even!" said Alexis

A Drill Wisp suddenly floated between the two of them. "O*&% !" it said happily.

"Er... what's it saying?" asked the dog.

"Dunno," said Alexis, a hand on her chin. "I don't have Tails' translator handy."

Then, the Drill Wisp went into the Wispon that the dog was holding. "Oh, I get it now!" said Alexis. "It said that the Wisps will stay in the town to help make sure that you guys stay safe!"

The dog hugged the Wispon, hugging it with tears coming out from his eyes. "Thank you," he said. "Thank you so much!"

A few Mobians came up to the two defeated skunks. "Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted!" said a cat contemptly.

"You two are going to be locked up for a long time," said a coyote.

"I'll send a call over to GUN," said Shadow, turning to the two guards. "They'll take them off your hands."

Before the Mobians could answer. The skunks whirled around. "Their little cells won't hold us for long!" said the albino, looking at Alexis and Shadow. "We'll be out- and then we're coming for you!"

The blue skunk said, "You've made life-long enemies of-"

"ROUGH & TUMBLE!"

"You know," said Alexis, the flames around her fingers dying down as she tried to hold in her laughter. "For one thing, GUN cells are very sturdy. And another thing; it's really hard to take you guys seriously when you're dressed like that."

The two skunks looked down and yelped. They were now wearing cheerleader dresses.

Alexis snapped a quick picture before they were escorted away and started typing on her mini-Miles Electric."It's a pity those dresses won't last," she smirked.

"What are you doing?"asked Shadow, looking at her.

"Done!" She showed Shadow a message she had been typing to Sonic with the picture attached- _*Look what I found in Fort Bridger! Haven't seen these guys since high school!*_

"Male cheerleaders were back in your school?" asked Shadow incrediously.

"Yeah," said Alexis. "Very funny ones too. Oh wait, Sonic's sending a reply."

_*LOL! -crying laughing emoji- BTW, TP is heading home. I M coming over w/ Rouge n Omega.*_

* * *

_[Fort Bridger- nighttime]_

"That was seriously hilarious," said Rouge, laughing hard.

***I AM OBLIGED TO BE OVERJOYED BY THE SIGHT OF THAT FUNNY PICTURE,*** said Omega.

"Seriously, I haven't seen something as funny as that since we got Knuckles to put on a dress during Truth or Dare," laughed Sonic.

"You actually got him to put on a dress?" asked Alexis.

"Yup!" said Sonic. "But he got me back by making me kiss Amy. Her boyfriend, Manic, nearly killed me."

"Well," said Shadow, "funny moments aside, did you two find him?" He turned to his two teammates.

Rouge nodded. "There's been a few sighting of alien trees and some strange creature killing a few animals. Brought a few samples back from one-such alien tree that we found." She held up a piece of what looked like glass, but slightly organic. It was colored in a swirling mixture of orange and blue.

Shadow took it and crushed it in his hand. "He's somewhere in there," he muttered.

"Well, he couldn't hide forever," said Sonic, putting his hands on his hips. "I've never even gotten to meet Eclipse before. Speaking of meeting people." He turned to Alexis and said, "What's with the Crimson Wisp on the top of your head?"

"Oh, this little girl?" Alexis raised a hand up, scratching the mentioned Crimson Wisp on top of its crested head. It's three eyes closed as it gave a hum of pleasure. "She was one of the Wisps that we rescued from the Skunk brothers. I wasn't too sure if I should have a Wisp friend, but seeing how she's taken to me, I might want to see Tails about my own Wispon."

"Be a good idea," said Sonic. "But that will have to come later. Tomorrow, we're going alien hunting!"

"Sure you two want to come along?" Shadow asked the two siblings.

"Hey, I haven't met the guy yet," said Sonic. "Plus, I need something to do."

"And someone needs to keep Shadow out of trouble," added Alexis.

"I don't need to stay out of trouble," said Shadow, casting her a sideways glance.

"Did I say you? I meant- Sonic! Yeah, I meant to say Sonic!"

The Crimson Wisp rolled its three eyes.

"Then I guess tomorrow we're going into the mountains," commented Rouge, grinning at the two lovebirds, although they still refuse to admit it.

* * *

**I decided to add Rough and Tumble to our little villains fiesta. And yes, during the month-lull after the Shattered World crisis, Alexis, Sonic, and Team Phoenix during their vacation met the Hooligans. They might meet up again some time.**

**And yes, I can't tell the difference between Rough and Tumble. And who else thinks that they're Cheerleaders?**

**And Alexis finally gets a Wisp Companion! Crimson Wisps are those ones that have Sonic transform into Eagles. Tails and Chuck will be sure to get her a good Wispon. I'm thinking something like Vector's arm-Wispons for his Magenta Wisps. Sounds good?**

**R&R**


	3. Eclipse's Darkening

_[Mountains]_

Team Dark, plus the joining Sonic and Alexis, who had the Crimson Wisp, which Alexis had named Ospery, now joining her, hiked through the mountains the day after they left Fort Bridger. Sonic was trailing in the back with Ospery, Rouge and Omega, telling the two and the Wisp some stories while Alexis and Shadow were at the front, as well as a companionable silence.

After a while, Alexis looked over at Shadow and said, "Hey, Shadow?"

Shadow turned to her, a curious look on his face.

"How do you know Eclipse? Like, where did he come from?"

"Rouge didn't tell you?" he asked.

"All I know is that Eclipse is the last Black Arm thats here on Mobius. But how did he get here?"

Shadow looked forward for a few seconds before asking, "I suppose Sonic told you about the first Black Arms invasion, correct?"

"Yeah," said Alexis.

"It was about a year before the Phantom War," he explained. "United Federation sattelites had picked up a second Black Comet approaching Mobius. Me, Rouge, Omega, and several soldiers went onto the comet before it could make planet-fall. During that time, I got separated from the group and was ambushed by a Black Arms that was made to destroy me."

"Eclipse," figured Alexis.

Shadow nodded. "Eclipse and his creator, Black Death, tried to put me under their control, but Rouge and Omega were able to save me. While they went to go set up the nuke and save the soldiers that had been captured by the Black Arms, I went straight to Black Death and fought him. I won, but we found out that Eclipse had escaped in a small craft. Along with his creations, the Dark Arms."

"The Wisp versions of the Black Arms?"

"Me and the rest of the team tracked them down to Angel Island, where Eclipse nearly stole the Master Emerald. We stopped him, but he escaped before we could destroy him."

"Not willing to leave him alive?" asked Alexis, looking at Shadow.

Shadow hopped onto a ledge that led upwards into the mountains, pulling up Alexis after him. "If he stays alive, something could happen. I promised Maria that I would protect the world, whether it's Mobius or Earth."

"Well, they are the same planet now," said Alexis, joining Shadow on the ledge as they waited for the rest of the team to catch up. "So, you've been hunting down Eclipse and his Dark Arms the whole time?"

"All this time." Shadow gave a sigh and added, "I actually can't wait until it's over."

"Then you can go back to a semi-normal life?" asked Alexis, smiling at him.

"And maybe finally admit a few things," he added.

Alexis' eyes widened. "Uh... w-what things?"

Before Shadow could answer, Rouge shouted, "Shadow! Alexis! Up!"

The two of them turned, and Shadow grabbed Alexis when he saw Eclipse the Darkling barelling down on them. He teleported just as Eclipse's glowing claws barely missed them.

As soon as they landed, Eclipse straightened. "Hello brother," said the Black Arm. "I see you brought your pathetic team with you."

***I AM NOT PATHETIC. DURING OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER, I RECALL THAT I DEFEATED YOU EASILY,*** protested Omega.

"Well, I'm much stronger this time," said Eclipse. From behind Eclipse came a few of the Dark Arms, who were staring at the team rather hungrily.

"Cute!" said Alexis as Ospery hid behind her nervously. "You put together your own little boy band!"

"My Dark Arms," said Eclipse, growling at her. "They will help lead to your defeat."

"In what?" quipped the female hedgehog. "Football events?"

Eclipse's look turned even darker. "You dare mock me?"

"No, I dare to mock your boy band."

Now the alien's energy was surronding him in a bright blue aura. "Are you always this insuffurable?" he hissed.

"When she wants to be," said Shadow. "Personally, I find it quite funny."

"Aw, thank you!" Alexis said, bowing to him.

Neither of them could hear Sonic behind them whispering, "Come on, you two. Kiss already!"

Eclipse gave a roar of rage as all four of the Dark Arms flew into him. His small form instantly grew massive, with small parts sticking out of him that slightly resembled the Dark Arms physical abilities. _"Any last words?"_ asked Eclipse.

"Ugly evil creature says what?" Sonic asked really quickly.

"_What?"_ Eclipse was blindsided when Alexis and Shadow launched several spears of fire and energy at him, causing him to growl and fall back.

"Hah! Loser!" Sonic launched forward, curling into a spin-ball and slamming into the Darkling, causing the alien to fall back even more. Before he could swipe back at the blue hedgehog, Rouge fired several of her heart-shaped bombs while Omega laid the heat on him.

"IGNORANT WRETCHES!" screamed Eclipse. He raised his hands, firing off a bombardment of blue spears. Everyone quickly took cover.

"So, how exactly are we supposed to defeat this guy?" Alexis asked Shadow as the two of them took cover behind a rock.

"Wear him down is our best option," said Shadow. "His metabolism will wear down quicker if he expends his energy. He expends enough, his form fades back to normal."

"So beating him up a lot?" called out Sonic.

***I ENJOY THAT STRATEGY!***

Alexis put down the wheel that was her motorcycle and drew her sword, allowing the blade to be surrounded by flames. "Then lets see what we can do, shall we?" she asked.

Shadow gave a small smirk, allowing his own red Chaos Energy to flicker madly around his hands. "Lets."

Before Eclipse could attack them again, the whole group lept upwards, unleashing their own respective attacks. "GO!" yelled Shadow.

Alexis' sword flickered around her madly, slashing at Eclipse's arms and leaving thin cuts which began to drip with black blood. Before Eclipse could grab her, Shadow quickly stepped in front of her, showering Chaos Spears on the Black Arm, Sonic joining him by merging with Ospery and slamming into Eclipse several times in his Crimson Eagle form. Eclipse gave a roar of pain as Rouge and Omega laid the heat on him with their bombs and guns respectively.

Finally, Eclipse went back to his normal form, gasping heavliy, although the parts that showed the Dark Arms still popping up on him. "Surrender," Shadow told him, aiming a Chaos Spear at the defeated Black Arm.

No one saw the small smirk on his face. "Get him!" roared out Eclipse.

The Dark Arms popped out of Eclipse's body, swarming across Shadow, Shadow gave a startled gasp and fell back, struggling to cover his face. He didn't feel the small sting on his shoulder.

"Shadow!" yelled Alexis.

Finally, Shadow had had enough. Energy flickered across his body. "Chaos... BLAST!" he screamed.

A surge of red energy sent almost everyone flying, and killed the Dark Arms that were swarming across him. When Eclipse recovered(by sticking his hand in the dark shadow of a boulder) he noticed the dead bodies surrounding Shadow. "NO!" he screamed.

Shadow stood there, panting slightly after expending a lot of energy. As Sonic and Ospery separated, Sonic remarked to the Crimson Wisp, "And that's why he's called the Ultimate Lifeform."

"And now I shall give him the Ultimate Heartbreak!" screamed Eclipse. He teleported over to Alexis and grabbed her long quills, making her screech out.

"Alexis!" yelled the two male hedgehogs.

Before either of them could make a move, Eclipse and Alexis vanished in a flash of blue light.

"Could he teleport before?" asked Rouge, looking around wildly.

"No, he couldn't," said Shadow.

Sonic had pulled out his communicator. "Alexis? Alexis! She's not answering," he finally said.

"Where is she?" whispered Shadow, his hand clenched. He was not going to lose another friend.

**()**

Deeper in the mountains, a flash of blue light appeared at the base of an abandoned tower. Before Eclipse could sink his claws into Alexis, she kicked him in the leg, then flew up the tower, landing on the top deck.

She took a few deep breaths as she crouched behind a metal box. She felt for her communicator, but felt it not there. _He must've ripped it off,_ she thought. Noting an odd smell, she looked to her left, coming face-to-face with a rotting deer carcass.

She gave a yelp, standing up and moving back, looking around wildly. A gunshot next to her caused her to leap back. When she looked down, she saw Eclipse on the bottom platform, now weilding a black gun and a black sword on his back. "You like my new accessories?" the Black Arm called out as he put his gun away and pulled out his sword. "Shadow isn't the only one who can use human weapons."

Alexis' ears flattened. "You're working for the Darkness, aren't you?" she snarled.

Eclipse grinned. "Surprised you were able to find out so quickly."

"After that battle with Dark Gaia, I'd know that foul stench anywhere. And you're reeking with it!" Her hand raised up, firing off several spears of flames.

Eclipse blocked them with the black blade of his sword. "And I've made it a point to know who to hurt so I can have my revenge against Shadow for destroying my colony!"

"By getting me?" asked Alexis. She raced to the edge of her platform and lept off, trying to get to the forest floor. Eclipse unsheathed his sword as the red parts of his body glowed. With a slash from his new sword, a wave of energy struck her, causing her to fall to the ground.

Alexis drew her sword as Eclipse lunged at her, trying to cleave her head off. She blocked the blade before lunging at his chest, trying to wound him. He blocked the lunge.

It was a game of swordplay, each one of them trying to stop the other. Eclipse was slightly less experienced than Alexis, who had been learning from other great swordmasters like Antoine, but Eclipse was stronger than her, which made up for his little experience.

"I know that if you're killed," Eclipse said when he stepped back, "Shadow will lose the will to fight me."

"You've never heard the saying 'revenge is a dish best served hot'?" asked Alexis, lunging forward again. Eclipse blocked the lunge and slashed at her, but she lept on the railing and climbed back onto another level of the tower. When she turned and looked down, Eclipse wasn't there.

A noise came, and Alexis barely blocked the bullet in time. The force of the impact, however, sent her reeling back. Eclipse gave a small scoff and said, "This is the one who helped save the world? I've had harder trouble with chipmunks!"

"Then allow me to put the _nut_ in it!" quipped Alexis. A line of fire wrapped around the top of the tower, and she swung around to deliver a vicious kick in the Black Arm's face. They slashed at each other with their swords again before they locked their swords, grabbing each others hilts. Eclipse finally tossed Alexis away, hitting her head against the railing.

Alexis shook the stars out of her eyes and lept onto the railing, reaching the top level of the tower. When she turned, Eclipse was there. He grabbed her by the throat and walked her to the edge of the tower, strangling her. She kicked Eclipse's leg, sending them both tumbling over the railing.

Alexis managed to slow her fall with her powers, but when Eclipse landed hard on the ground, he stood up barely winded. "The Darkness increased my strength," said Eclipse, "but I'm not going to need my other form to defeat you, hedgehog."

"Well neither am I," said Alexis.

The two of them drew their swords, staring at each other angrily. As a leaf drifted onto the floor between the two, they rushed forward to end the fight.

**I'm getting the inspiration for the fight between Alexis and Eclipse from RWBY's Blake and Yang vs. Adam. Next chapter, good and bad stuff will be happening and I imagine you guys will be ranting a bit.**

**R&R and no flames please!**


	4. The Sacrifice

**Here are some review-replies, which I didn't do last chapter, sorry.**

**Void Reader: It's NOT another coma thing! I know when something gets old! This is worse than a coma.**

**Black Twilight Wolf: You'll get to see the sacrifice this chapter. And it has major repercussion. Hope you enjoy this boss-fights.**

**The Dark Arms... well, they sort of are children, but they are also almost-mindless aliens that are bent on getting revenge on Shadow and destroying the world. Plus, it appears that Black Arms grow up very quickly, so I assume the same for the Dark Arms. So, technically, by the time of last chapter, they're probably at their adult stage, but still remain small since they were cloned from Wisps. And Sonic understood that they had to die, but he did feel a bit of remorse.**

**Infinite's Ruby: I was trying to think for Alexis having a Wisp-buddy, and then I thought of the Crimson Wisps, which give Sonic a Crimson Eagle form and I thought- "That's perfect!" Her Wispon is going to be very interesting, I promise you.**

**SharpDragonKlaw: Yup. Amy's new boyfriend is Manic. But in this, Sonic only met him after the war. They aren't siblings or anything. And Aleena would be another ordinary hedgehog, not a queen. **

**You know, For Rough and Tumble(I still can't tell who's who!) comparing them to Jessie and James from Team Rocket is actually pretty accurate.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or RWBY(which the fight is based off of. Also a mention of Adam Tarus in here). All Sonic rights, minus my OC, belong to SEGA and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

* * *

_[Mountains]_

Shadow was now pacing anxiously. Sonic and Rouge were on their communicators, contacting Tails and Commander Towers. After a few minutes, Sonic lowered his arm. "Tails said that he can't find her communicator signal," he said. "Eclipse must've destroyed it."

Rouge dropped her arm after he did. "Same with are a few old GUN structures in these mountains. They were abandoned before the Convergence. Eclipse could've taken her to one of them."

***OR HE COULD NOT HAVE,*** said Omega, being the pessimist. ***HE COULD HAVE TAKEN HER TO HIS HIDEOUT, WHEREVER THAT MAY BE. BY THE TIME WE FIND IT, ECLIPSE COULD ALREADY BE DONE. THEN WE WILL HAVE AN EVEN BETTER REASON TO DESTROY HIM!*** His metal hand clenched angrily.

Shadow's hands were also clenched, but not just in anger. He was scared. Worried. He didn't know what to do. He looked over at the wheel that was Alexis' motorcycle. _Maria,_ he thought to himself. _What do I do? I lost you. So how do I not lose her?_

_**Follow your heart.**_

Shadow's eyes widened. It didn't sound like any voice that he had ever heard. It didn't even sound like Maria. It was almost like...

"The voice Alexis said talked to her," he whispered.

_**Love can be a powerful thing. Once a bond is forged, it can always be followed.**_

_Thank you,_ he thought, his head bowing.

He started to think about Alexis, trying to feel the bond that the two of them now supposedly shared. He remembered the times that they shared together, fighting Rough and Tumble, restoring the Chaos Emeralds during the Shattered World Crisis, their short time on the ARK before the Convergence. He even remembered when she was still a human. When he had accidentally kidnapped her. She had made him remember his promise to Maria. She had broken the cold stone that his heart had been at the time.

"_We all take risks for those that we love."_

Then, he felt it.

* * *

_[Old GUN base]_

Alexis and Eclipse were once more fighting, swords locked in combat. Eclipse had lost his gun, sheared in half by Alexis' sword. Alexis, however, was starting to breath heavily now, her sword arm feeling heavy. Eclipse was looking as fit as he had been before he had taken her. It didn't help that they were in the shadows underneath trees. She had noticed that his body seemed to glow whenever he stepped into the dark shadow of a trunk.

_I need to get him out from underneath here,_ she thought to herself. She lept back, sheathing her sword. A trendil of fire shot from her hands, wrapping around the branch of a tree, pulling her away from the Darkling.

"Can you do anything but run?" taunted Eclipse as he raced after her. He lept off the trees, almost copying her movements.

Alexis lept from tree to tree, trying to dodge Eclipse as he grew closer and closer to her. The Black Arm smirked, shooting out his sword. Alexis gave a yelp as it spiraled in front of her, barely dodging in time. Eclipse caught the sword and swung it at her.

A flutter of silver went through the air.

Alexis kicked into Eclipse's middle, her cloak now a quarter of it's original length. Alexis fired out several spears of fire, which Eclipse blocked with the blade of his sword. He stared at her angrily, his golden eyes glowing. Alexis had her hand raised, flames surrounding it. She was breathing heavily, her mis-matched blue eyes shining with blue flames that she didn't notice.

Then, Alexis lept backwards, Eclipse swiftly following her. The hedgehog landed in a sunlit clearing surrounded by rocky cliffs. As she landed in a crouched position, the Darkling landed in front of her, a clawed hand held tight on his sword. The two of them stood, glaring at each other once more.

Eclipse then dashed forward, Alexis raising her sword to meet him. She dodged several times before racing around and meeting him. A sheath of fire formed in her left hand, sliding over Eclipse's sword, pulling it from his grasp. Before she could toss it away, Eclipse came at her, claws glowing. Alexis raced around him, kicking and slashing, with Eclipse easily keeping up with her. As she turned, Eclipse grabbed her arms.

"I wouldn't have to be doing this if Shadow had just behaved!" he yelled in her face.

"Well he's not one of you!" she screamed right back.

Eclipse gave an angry scream, grabbing his sword from the fiery sheath, and tossing it away. As Alexis watched the sheath fade, Eclipse slammed the sword handle into the side of her head.

Alexis was sent flying, landing on the ground hard. "He did not deserve to judge us!" Eclipse yelled. He lept into the air, slashing the sword at her as she tried to stand. She barely dodged, landing on the ground again. "He was a coward!" Eclipse swung his sword downward, Alexis rolling out of the way.

"And you're delusional," she snarled at him. She backed up slightly as Eclipse leveled his sword at her. His sword glowed as he unleashed a wave of energy at her. She raised her sword barely in time.

She watched as the pieces of the blade fell to the ground. Her sword was broken.

Eclipse leveled his sword at her again. "Shadow hurt me and my species," he growled at her. "He destroyed Black Doom and Black Death. He made our plans for Mobius fail. He made my _purpose_ fail. He destroyed many of my species. I vowed to stop him. To destroy him for everything that he had done."

Eclipse didn't notice Alexis' ears perk suddenly, and didn't know why she looked back. "I know this is a question that I will ask Shadow when I finally kill him and his friends, but I will ask you- how does it feel to be alone?" And with an angry yell, he stabbed downwards.

Eclipse gave a start as Alexis' body suddenly faded into flames. He turned, seeing Alexis standing on her feet, holding her aching side. "I'm not alone," she snarled at him.

Then Eclipse heard it- a motorcycle engine.

A green and red motorcycle came over the ridge, compacting into a single mechanical wheel which the rider threw at Eclipse. It struck the Darkling, making him fall backwards. The rider caught it, then landed next to Alexis.

Shadow looked up, his red eyes glaring at Eclipse as he tossed the wheel to the side. Red energy flickered around his arms and hands.

"You," snarled Eclipse. He barely blocked the Chaos Spear that Shadow launched at him.

"Shadow," Alexis said gratefully, then nearly fell to the ground.

Shadow quickly caught her, a gentle expression on his face that Alexis hadn't seen before. "Are you alright?" he asked her, hugging her gently.

Alexis snuggled slightly into his embrace. "Tired," she admitted. "And I'm three-quarters of a cloak short."

Shadow gave a small chuckle. "Rouge isn't going to be happy," he said. "She spent hours looking for that."

Alexis nodded, then gave a small grimace of pain, still breathing heavily.

Shadow noticed this. "Catch your breath," he said to her. He glared at Eclipse. "I can take him."

"He's right," Eclipse said, getting in a ready position. "We have unfinished business."

Shadow stood, walking in front of Alexis. After a few seconds, Eclipse lunged at him, slashing downwards. Shadow dodged, then shot off a punch at Eclipse, the Darkling countering with a glowing hand. Shadow flipped backwards, dodging a wave of energy that Eclipse shot at him, and his spinning sword. He back-flipped again, dodging the mad slashing that Eclipse was giving him.

Then he rushed at Eclipse, punching him several times in the middle. He then knocked him into the air and punched him to the ground. As Eclipse tried to slash at him again, Shadow grabbed his sword arm, punching him again and knocking him back. Eclipse held up the sword, absorbing the punches that Shadow tried to give him before getting knocked back. Shadow rushed at him again, knocking him back and firing off several Chaos Spears.

Eclipse blocked them with his sword before rushing around Shadow, leaving behind black and red afterimages. Shadow looked around in confusion before seeing the real Eclipse stab his sword into the ground, sending a wave of energy at Shadow and knocking him back.

As Shadow skidded next to Alexis, she called out to him. "Shadow, he got that sword from the Darkness that possessed Dark Gaia! Rouge watches that RWBY thing on Youtube, right?"

"Yeah, so?" asked Shadow looking at her.

"I've seen the series slightly. His sword is like Adam Tarrus' Semblence! It absorbs energy and sends it back at you twice as strong when he's ready!"

"He gets to give damage without feeling it? That's cheap."

Shadow teleported in front of Eclipse, shooting off Chaos Spears and punching at him. Eclipse blocked most of the hits with his sword, although getting a few hits on him. He managed to knock Shadow back, but the black hedgehog rushed at him again, teleporting into the air and hitting Eclipse. He kicked him several times before he punched out again, hitting the black sword that Eclipse held in front of him. He was then sent back, landing close to Alexis. He managed to land on his feet, although a little unsteady.

Alexis managed to get on her knees, holding her shoulder. She and Shadow looked at each other. He was as strong as either of separate. Eclipse noticed the two of them looking at each other and he smirked. He grabbed his sheathed sword, allowing the energy to charge up.

"Alexis!" yelled Shadow.

Eclipse launched the sword straight at the female hedgehog with a yell. The energy wave hit her as she held her arms up. However, when the smoke cleared, she was standing, flames flickering around her body. She stared at him with a deadpan expression that had a slight mixture of anger in it.

"Leave us alone," she snarled at Eclipse, walking up to Shadow's side.

Shadow nodded at her, then looked at Eclipse with an angry look in his crimson eyes. "Listen to her, Eclipse," said Shadow. "This is your last chance."

Eclipse glared at the two of them, his hand going to his sword. He noticed Shadow's hands trembling and grinned. "You really believe that, Shadow?" he asked. "Or are you just trying to scare me off so you won't have to protect her?"

Shadow clenched his teeth, his shaking hands balling up into fists.

Then, a gentle hand took his trembling fist, opening it and holding it gently. "He's not protecting me," Alexis said as Shadow looked at her. "And I'm not protecting him. We're protecting each other."

Eclipse laughed. "Neither of you can defeat me on your own," he sneered. "What makes you think you can defeat me together?"

"What?" quipped Alexis. "You've never heard the saying 'two heads are better than one'?"

"Well, I know you've made your choice then," said Eclipse. He grabbed the hilt of his sword and crouched forward. "And I've made mine."

Alexis and Shadow's hands dropped. Red energy surrounded Shadow's hands as a blade of pure flames appeared in Alexis' hand. After a few minutes, the two of them rushed at Eclipse.

Eclipse slashed at the two, but found it hard as the two of them kept darting and teleporting around him. Sometimes he would be engaged in a sword fight with Alexis, and other times he would be struggling to block Shadow's Chaos Energy covered hands. At one point, Alexis' fiery sword was attached to the end of a rope of fire, which she launched at Eclipse. When Eclipse shot it back at her, Shadow grabbed it, pulling hard. Alexis was carried forward by the momentum, slamming her sword into Eclipse's.

Eclipse sent out a wave of energy, sending both him and Alexis backwards, the female hedgehog hitting her head on the rocks, stunning her.

"Alexis!" yelled Shadow. He turned as Eclipse gave a dark chuckle.

"Moment of truth, Shadow!" the Black Arm shouted at his 'brother'. "Do you think you're faster than you were on the ARK?"

The words struck Shadow hard. His hands lowered to his side for a few brief seconds as his face turned to shock.

Eclipse noticed this and chuckled. "Me neither."

He charged forward, swinging his sword. Shadow was once more hard-pressed to defend himself, and he often caught a glimpse of Alexis' unconscious form in the corner of his eye.

"You should be getting tired," said Eclipse confidently as Shadow stood, breathing heavily. "Hit me already!" They engaged in their fight again. "What does she even see in you?!" Eclipse's sword spun out again, Shadow dodging again, but getting hit by the wave of energy. "She's as much a coward as you are !" Another wave of energy, this one stronger, was sent at Shadow.

Shadow reached for his wrists.

The energy wave struck Shadow, sending up a cloud of dust. Eclipse raced into the dust cloud, angrily yelling as he slashed downwards.

When the dust cleared, Eclipse's golden eyes widened in horror and shock. Shadow had caught the sword blade in his hand, and the Black Arm was horrified to see that the golden ring on the wrist was gone.

Shadow, now covered in flickering red energy looked up, his eyes blazing. "Gotcha," he said, a small smirk on his face. He stood up, kicking Eclipse in his middle and knocking him back.

Eclipse stood, reaching for his sword, only to find empty air where his hand was. He looked up to see Shadow holding his sword as he slipped his Inhibitor Rings back on his wrists. "We may be evenly matched in strength, Eclipse," said Shadow, "but I'm not blinded by anger. I'm smarter. And I have someone who helps me. Unlike you." With that, he snapped the sword in half, tossing both pieces away.

Eclipse's eyes followed it.

"KEYAH!" Alexis' fist smacked across his face, sending him backwards.

He stumbled, then his eyes glowed angrily. "ENOUGH!" he screamed. He raced towards Alexis, his claws glowing with energy. Alexis closed her eyes. She was still slightly reeling from the knock to her head.

Then, she heard a stabbing sound, and a choking sound. Alexis looked up, her eyes widening.

Eclipse was standing almost a yard in front of her, a long piece of her broken sword in his chest. Shadow stood behind him, a look of anger on his face and holding the piece of sword in his hands. As the piece of sword was drawn from his body, Eclipse stumbled forward, Alexis stepping out of the way. Neither of them saw the small device that slipped from Eclipse's grip before he collapsed to the ground, his breath leaving him.

Eclipse the Darkling, sworn enemy to Shadow the Hedgehog, was dead.

Shadow rushed over to Alexis as she collapsed to the ground, sobbing. He held her gently in his arms as she cried in his chest. "I... I-I was s-so s-scared," she whispered, clinging to him tightly.

"So was I," said Shadow, his head resting on top of hers. "Afraid that I would lose you."

That made the water-works stop. "What?" asked Alexis, looking up at him.

Shadow blushed slightly. It was time. "Alexis... I..." Suddenly, he stopped.

Something was rising in his chest. He turned away, suddenly coughing up blood.

"Oh sweet Mobius, Shadow!" yelled Alexis, grabbing him by the shoulders and steadying him. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

Shadow continued coughing for almost a full minute. When the fit stopped, he laid on his side, breathing heavily. His gloves were already stained, and flickers of energy covered his body. "I... I don't..." He coughed again, this fit shorter.

There came a sudden beeping sound. Alexis turned, looking at the small disc that Eclipse had dropped. "Where did..?" she started to ask, only for it to light up.

A projection of Eclipse appeared on the disc. He was grinning sadistically. _*Hello, brother,*_ said the recording. _*I imagine by now that you're wondering what's happening to you?_

_*In case you didn't figure it out during the fight, I recently gained a powerful ally. The same person that despises your girlfriend. The Darkness the threatened the merged planets not too long ago. He gave me a few things, such as a few weapons, and a special chemical of its own design. The chemical was a DNA Connector as the Darkness put it. When I put my DNA into it, anyone who has the chemical mixture injected into them starts dying when I die. I was against it at first, but I soon realized that it was quite a worthy sacrifice. And with us being connected by our DNA slightly, the process will be even quicker._

_*So, I assume that if you're seeing this message, I am dead. And you will be joining me where I end up in... oooh, about a week. I'll see you soon, brother.*_ With that, the message ended.

"That... demon," Shadow managed to gasp out, before going into his coughing fit again.

Alexis held his hand and asked, "Shadow, where's your communicator? I gotta call the others!"

Shadow's right hand twitched.

Alexis pulled back the glove slightly to see the gray wristband. She pulled it off and typed into it rapidly. "Come on, Rouge. Pick up!" she muttered.

Finally, after several nerve-wracking moments, a familiar voice answered. _*Shadow? Did you find her?*_

"Rouge, it's Alexis!"

_*Alexis? Thank Mobius! Where's Shadow?"_

"Rouge," Alexis' eyes started to water again. "Eclipse... he was working with the Darkness. He... he got something from it that triggered when Eclipse died." She looked at the gasping Shadow.

"Shadow was the test subject. He's dying."

**And there is the answer for many of you who wondered what the Darkness had given Eclipse in the prologue. It's a DNA Connector. Did anyone see the first episode with the female Doctor Who and those DNA bombs? Think of the DNA Connector as something like that, like linking DNA bombs. **

**Whoever it is injected to get connected to the person whose DNA was put into the Connector. So when the person dies, the person who was injected starts getting their DNA degraded. It usually needs time for the inputed DNA to bond, but because Shadow is half Black Arm, the DNA was able to bond to him more quickly as well as taking effect more quickly.**

**But don't worry before any of you lot start ranting to me that 'You can't kill Shadow!', or 'They haven't confessed yet! You monster!', or any of that jazz. We'll be seeing a very familiar person next chapter, and he'll have something with him that will help Shadow survive a little while longer.**


	5. Journey Beginning

**Here we are folks. The last chapter. And the last review-replies.**

**Silver: You made a cameo last book. You helped Alexis and Blaze in the Arctic.**

**Void Reader: Yeah, that wasn't cool. But the Darkness is trying to get Alexis' moral down and her will broken and this is one of those ways. Don't worry, though! That problem gets halfway fixed here.**

**Eclipse the Dark: ...You're dead, dude. You're dead now.**

**Dr. Eggman: -_- Just stop it, okay. I already hate the epilogue enough as it is.**

**Black Twilight Wolf: Is the chocolate bar a hint from you that you know whose gonna appear? Or do you just enjoy eating candy?**

**SharpDragonKlaw: Yup. That's the sacrifice that the Darkness was referring to in the first chapter. And the Voice- it has a name now- knew that Alexis needed to be save, so she went to the next-best person, Shadow.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog. I only own my OC, Alexis Rey Hedgehog.**

**And with that, the final chapter!**

* * *

_[GUN Headquarters]_

Alexis paced outside the medical chamber, her tattered cloak and compacted motorcycle on a chair next to the door. Her own cuts and bruises had already healed, now she was _really_ worried about Shadow. He had been barely breathing when the dropship had finally come, and someone had put him in a stasis chamber so that his condition wouldn't worsen when they got to base.

The door at the end of the hallway opened, making her turn. Her heart almost exploded in relief when she saw Sonic, Osprey, Rouge, and Omega coming towards her. She raced towards her brother, sobbing as he held her in his arms. Osprey landed on her head, gently nuzzling her behind her crest.

"Anything?" Rouge asked when Alexis had composed herself.

"N-no," Alexis managed to say. "He's been in there for two hours. He was barely breathing when the dropship reached us. They had to put him in a stasis chamber."

"What exactly happened?" asked Sonic, gently guiding his sister to a chair. "Shadow just took off with your bike. He acted like he couldn't even hear us."

Alexis told the story, slowly with a few hiccups. Sonic held her hand as she told about the fight she had with Eclipse and when Shadow had joined them, as well as killing Eclipse. Rouge's hands went to her mouth in horror when she said Shadow had started showing his condition.

She held up the small disc that had been Eclipse's message. "I don't know how much time Shadow has left," she whispered. "I'm scared."

"We all are," Sonic said, rubbing her shoulder. "But how did Eclipse manage to get the chemical into Shadow in the first place?"

***IT MAY HAVE BEEN WHEN THE DARK ARMS SWARMED SHADOW,*** said Omega. ***THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN OPPERTUNE TIME FOR ONE OF THEM TO GIVE SHADOW THE DNA CONNECTOR.***

Rouge gave a sigh, sitting down. "I'm just glad that it's finally over," she admitted. "The Dark Arms. Eclipse. They're gone now." Tears welled up in her eyes as she murmured, "I just wish that the price wasn't so high."

Alexis' hand clenched in anger. "Eclipse was working with the Darkness," she growled. "When I finally meet him..." A few flames gathered around her clenched fist.

That was when the door slid open. A young woman with blonde hair stepped out, a sad look on her face. The Mobians and robot stood. "Hope," said Rouge. "How is he? Is he going to be..?"

Hope looked up at them. "It's... it's bad," she said. "Whatever Eclipse gave him, it attacked his DNA. The Black Arms part of Shadow's DNA is... degrading. It was almost halfway gone when the team on the dropship put him in the stasis capsule. And until we can find a cure, we're going to have to keep him in stasis."

"Will you be able to find one?" asked Sonic. Alexis looked on the verge of tears again.

"...In all honesty, I don't know," admitted Hope. "I'm no chemist. And this... DNA Connector chemical is nothing like I've ever seen before. His vital systems were hit the hardest. If we even do find a cure... I don't know if he'll even live."

Alexis closed her eyes for a few seconds. "Thank you," she finally managed to say.

Hope gave a small nod, then walked back inside. Sonic noticed her hands trembling. _Alexis isn't the only one that's afraid,_ he thought to himself.

"Hope and Shadow are good friends. She reminded him of Maria for a while," said Rouge. "That she's frightened..." She gave a small sigh, her hand rubbing her forehead.

Osprey floated off of Alexis' head and rubbed her cheek, chirping slightly. Alexis stroked the small alien and gave a sigh. "I... I need to be alone for a bit," she finally said.

Osprey moved over to Sonic's shoulder as he hugged his sister. "Take as long as you need," he said to her.

Alexis nodded, then headed away.

"They never even got to tell each other," said Rouge.

Sonic looked after her, his emerald eyes with a sad look in them. "I'm sort of glad that they didn't. Otherwise, I think Alexis might be in a bit worse condition right now."

* * *

_[Clearing outside of GUN base]_

Alexis sat on a rock in the middle of a clearing, trying to control her emotions. Every once in a while, a few flames flickered around her fingers. A few tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as well. _I never even got to tell him,_ she thought to herself. _I never got to tell him that I loved him. And now... I don't think I'll ever get the chance to._

_Alexis._

Alexis' head shot up, looking around wildly. "Chip?!" she called out. "Is that you?"

_Look at the bracelet._

Alexis looked down, giving a small start when she saw the jade green stone glowing brightly. After a few seconds, Chip's small form appeared hovering over it, except it was green and see-through. "Is it really you, Chip?" asked Alexis, staring at the small projection.

"_Yes, it's really me,"_ said Chip, smiling at her. _"I missed you. Dark says hello as well. And he says 'thank you' too. Which is quite an honor coming from him."_

Alexis gave a small smile, but it dropped quickly. "Chip... Shadow is..."

"_We know,"_ said Chip. _"We have a solution that will work for a while, but it will come with a few limitations for Shadow."_

"What kind?"

"_He won't be able to use his Chaos Energy, at least not as often as he reguarly does. If he does, his condition will worsen. We'll give him something that will help with that as well. He will get tired a bit more easily, but that really can't be helped."_

"It's not a cure, is it?" asked Alexis, her expression falling.

"_No, I'm afraid it isn't."_ Chip raised his hands, pointing to a spot in front of Alexis. A shape began to form in front of her, appearing in ripples of green light. When the light faded, something fell into her lap. She picked it up, examining it.

It was a black mask with a few red highlights on the edges. There were small holes on either side of it, lined in red. The top part of the mask came up, sort of like a place for the nose. As she held it, she felt something, like a bit of power, that eminated from it.

"_There's a small enchantment in this,"_ explained Chip as Alexis continued to examine it. _"It will freeze his DNA and stop it from degrading more. He will have to wear this if he wants to survive."_

Alexis held the mask for a few more seconds, then nodded, holding it tightly. "Thank you, Chip," she said.

"_There's one more thing that we need to talk about,"_ said Chip.

"The Darkness," figured Alexis.

"_Yes."_ Chip gave a small sigh and continued. _"The Darkness helped Eclipse on purpose. He knows that you love Shadow, and used it to try and break you. If your will is broken, he knows that you will be easy to fight. Or at least, he thinks he does."_

"You sound like you know this Darkness well," said Alexis, looking at Chip.

"_The Goddess knows more about this enemy than me and the other gods of Mobius know. I've been in contact with her since the Darkness was expelled from Dark Gaia. And the reason why the Darkness is attacking you this way is because he knows that you will be fighting him to put him down for good."_

"Me?" repeated Alexis. "Why me?"

Chip gave a small smile. _"The Goddess knew that she cannot defeat the Darkness on her own. She would need help. When you were born, she sensed who and what you we're going to be."_

"So she chose me," said Alexis slowly.

Chip nodded. _"But,"_ he said, _"the Darkness also knew who and what you we're going to be as well. When he sensed the Goddess choosing you, he knew that he had to act. So he sent you to Earth, where your budding powers changed you into a human. The Darkness thought he had done it."_

"Until Sonic, his friends, and Eggman were Chaos Controlled to Earth," said Alexis, "where I found out what I really was and my powers started to show!"

"_Yes,"_ said Chip. _"But because Earth and Mobius were connected, the Darkness had a foothold in both worlds."_

"Mr. King," growled Alexis.

"_The Darkness was using him, his wife, and their son to keep tabs on you. That was the reason why Mr. King sabotaged the portal that would have sent you home and back to your true self. And Mr. King tried to kill you before you could be sent home a second time. But still you made it back, and the Darkness decided to try and kill you before the appointed battle."_

"Dark Gaia," said Alexis. "So Eggman blowing up the world about a month ago wasn't just because he wanted power to fuel Eggmanland?"

"_Actually, that was completely him,"_ said Chip, scratching the back of his head. _"The Darkness actually influenced Metal Sonic to find out about the Gaia Manuscripts. Eggman told Metal to get the manuscripts, but after they were given to him, Metal self-destructed because it felt the Darkness's presence."_

"Well, I'm glad that I didn't have to fight him," admitted Alexis. "Neo was bad enough. And I'm pretty sure I know the rest of the story from there. After we defeated Dark Gaia and got rid of the Darkness, he went to Eclipse, giving him the means to try and..." she trailed off, her throat suddenly becoming tight.

"_Giving him the means to try and destroy Shadow,"_ finished Chip, _"yes. The Darkness knew that if you were broken, you probably wouldn't be able to fight him. This mask,"_ he pointed to it, _"is actually a gift from the Goddess. She actually doesn't want to see Shadow die as much as you do. She knows about your connection with each other, and she doesn't want to see it die. Oh! And I almost forgot about this!"_ Chip raised his hands again.

After a few ripples of green light, a sword appeared in front of her. It was a thick blade and curved slightly, almost like a cutlass. There were a small array of golden plates on the blunt side of the black and silver blade. In the broad part of the blade was a criss-cross of gold lines. The hilt was also gold, with a small golden spike curving down from the thicker part of the hilt. The handle was silver with gold at the top and bottom. On the top was a small pattern of green lines with a small red dot near the top, almost like a rose.

"_If Sonic looks at this a little weirdly, tell him we got inspiration from him. He'll know where,"_ said Chip as Alexis held the sword. _"He should be able to teach Shadow how to use it. He knows a bit of swordplay if I recall. And the Goddess made this for you."_ Chip raised his hands again. After a flash of green light, with a slight mixture of red and orange, Alexis gasped.

A broadsword hovered in front of her, about as long as she was tall. It had a narrow blade except at the end, where it tapered out to a broad point that had a nick on either side just below the main part. Going down the middle of the blade was a golden channel, which also broadened like the main blade. The handle was carved with a few flame patterns which wrapped around the sword and a few points at the top. The hilt curved up slightly, patterned like a pair of wings. A few golden plates were beaten on the top, and on the larger golden plate was a large red jewel.

"_It's a special sword,"_ said Chip as Alexis stood, setting down Shadow's sword and mask and taking the sword, surprised that it felt so light. _"It was made specially for you and Osprey. The red jewel channels Hyper-Go-On energy so Wisps can enter it. You could say it's a Wispon Sword. Consider it a replacement for your old blade."_

Alexis swung it around several times, getting the feel of the larger blade. Finally, she set it down and looked at Chip, still being projected on the jewel. "Thank you, Chip," she said, "for everything. When will the Darkness strike?"

"_I'm not sure,"_ said Chip. _"But all the rest of the Gods feel that it is soon. When the time gets close, we will tell you. As soon as you give Shadow his mask and weapon, we'll talk again."_

"About what?"

"_About your preparation."_ With that, Chip's image faded.

Alexis waited for a few seconds, then gave a small sigh. She shouldered her new sword and picked up Shadow's and the mask. With that, she headed back inside.

* * *

"It looks exactly like it," commented Sonic, holding Shadow's sword.

"So you do recognize it?" asked Alexis, looking at him while Hope held and inspected the mask.

"Yeah. I took an adventure in a King Arthur storybook one time to help save Camelot." Sonic chuckled. "Sir Gawain looked like Knuckles, Sir Percival was Blaze, and Sir Lancelot was Shadow. This actually looks a lot like Lancelot's sword."

"Some of those adventures you go on," commented Rouge, shaking her head slowly.

"Hey, that was nothing! I once got stuck in the _Arabian Nights_ and had to save it from an evil genie with a flaming arrow in my chest! My King Arthur story was actually kinda more difficult because I hadn't used a sword before."

"And who was King Arthur?" joked Alexis. "You?"

"Uhhh... heh heh."

Alexis' eyes popped. "_Seriously_?!" she asked.

"So, will it work, Hope?" Rouge asked the young girl before Sonic could give off an explanation.

"I think so," said Hope. "At least Shadow won't be stuck in that stasis capsule until we find a cure. You guys might be going on less-dangerous mission from now on, though," she told Rouge.

"In all honesty," said Rouge, "I think we need the break."

***I PREFER A CHALLENGE,*** said Omega.

"Then I guess I'd better get going," said Alexis, picking up her motorcycle and cloak. "After Chip talks to me again, I'll stop by Chuck and Tails and get my motorcycle carrier. Maybe I can ask them for a sheath as well."

"I'll tell them you're on the way," said Sonic, picking up his communicator.

"Thanks," said Alexis. She hugged her brother and peeked into the medical room, where the stasis capsule that held Shadow was. "I'll see you again, Shadow," she whispered. "I promise." With that, she and Osprey, riding on her head, left the base.

When they got outside, Alexis' ring flashed again. She held up her arm as Chip's image appeared again.

"_Well Alexis,"_ said Chip. _"You have a lot of work to do."_

* * *

**And here is the end of**_** Shadowed Eclipse**_**. I know this might have a lot of you saying that it seemed like a bit of a repeat of most of my stories, but it really isn't.**

**So, Alexis will explain what Chip and the rest of the gods had her doing in the next story, which will be called, **_**Flaming Destiny**_**. I hope you guys stick with me on that one. And Chip's conversation was a bit of a backstory for Alexis, explaining how she got to Earth in the first place.**

**And here is the synopsis;**

_**Alexis has grown since she first met Sonic on Earth. She has returned to Mobius, becoming a hedgehog once more. She helped save the world from Dr. Eggman, reunited Earth and Mobius once more, and helped defeat Eclipse the Darkling, who would surely have sent the world to ruin. But the adventure has had its heart-aches. Sonic the Hedgehog, her adopted older brother, had been sent into a coma twice and now Shadow the Hedgehog, the one that she loved, now lives between life-and-death, only surviving with the help of a special mask.**_

_**But Alexis has just realized that her true adventure is only just beginning. After leaving the GUN base, Chip has her traveling across the world, with only her new Wisp friend Osprey the Crimson Wisp by her side. What she is doing is preparing. Preparing for the Darkness, who may appear more quickly than anyone realizes, and who will try everything to make sure that Alexis cannot fulfill her destiny as the Chosen Flame of the Goddess of Reality, Phoenix.**_

_**Will Alexis be able to finish whatever she is doing during her travels around the world? Will she be able to defeat the Darkness, whose true name will soon strike at every corner of the globe? And a question that is most important to her- will she be able to tell Shadow that she loves him, and hope that he loves her in return?**_

_**Find out in the fifth instalment of the Phoenix Chronicles- Flaming Destiny.**_

**And, here's a bit of an epilogue.**

* * *

_[One month after the events of __**Shadowed Eclipse**__]_

Eggman sat in his padded prison cell, shifting around slightly in his straightjacket. Oh how he wanted to get out of here and get revenge on Sonic and Alexis for ruining all his plans. But now he had almost no robots serving him, and he couldn't bust out. GUN certainly knew what they were doing.

Suddenly, there came a commotion outside of his cell. He managed to stand as the door suddenly slide open. Three people stood outside, whom he recognized. "What do I owe the pleasure, Mr. King?" asked Eggman as Marshal strode forward, freeing the mad doctor from the straightjacket.

"We have... a proposition, doctor," said Dareth, striding forward as Eggman stretched slightly. "I figure you want as much revenge against Alexis as we do for ruining all our plans."

"I would be honored to be working with you," said Eggman.

"You will not just be working with us," said Dareth. "Rather, with our benifactor."

"Who is..?" asked Eggman.

The King family closed their eyes for a few seconds. When they reopened, the eyes were red with green irises and slitted pupils. _**"HELLO, DOCTOR EGGMAN,"**_ they said at the same time. _**"I DO HOPE WE CAN HAVE A BIT OF FUN TOGETHER."**_

Eggman appeared a bit startled at first, but soon a sinister grin slid onto his face.

He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

**Uh- oh. It appears that Eggman and the Darkness are going to be working together.**

**For **_**Flaming Destiny, **_**I was thinking of adding a bit of music every once in a while. I hope you guys don't mind.**

**R&R and I'll see you lot next time!**


End file.
